It was a good day!!! A little long but i'm too excited.

[southbaybronco]

Since i bought my truck about year ago i have been battling a cooling problem. From all the reading i'm not the only one. Well today was a huge breakthrough. I may not have had to spend all this cash but i can't be mad, the problem is fixed. I don't know if it was one thing or a combo things i've done but what ever it was i feel much better. I have a 351w bored .30 over. When sitting at a light or in traffic my temp would climb to 220 but i never saw it get higher than that. Even with the outside temp at 25 it would get that hot.

The first thing i did was change the water pump (stock replacement) and a 180 thermostat using the 3 core radiator that came on the truck. It was old. It had a half shroud. That did not help. I then bought a RD aluminum radiator and full shroud. I tried a new fixed fan blade and the flex fan. I even put a small pusher fan on the front. No luck there. I got the idea to call RD and i talked to a sales rep. I told him what was going on and he went over things with me. The things he said were use a ford racing water pump or a edelbrock water pump. He told me not to use a flowcool. He asked how far inside the fan was in the shroud. It was all the way inside. He told me it needs to be just a little inside. I also got a response on this forum a few days ago saying the same thing. Well yesterday this is what i did. Replaced the water pump with a edelbrock put the fixed fan on, cut the shroud and i also put the smaller pully from BC Bronco. It was night and day. With the hood up it would stay at 180 in park and in gear. As soon as i closed the hood the temp would start climbing. I could lift the hood rev it up a little and back to 180. It never did it that quick before. I did pop the hood latch and felt a ton of hot air being pushed forward. What has been happening all along was the hot air was being sucked over the top of the radiator and back through. Today i ordered the air dam from WH but in the mean time i made a cardboard mockup. Not all the holes have been sealed around the radiator but it did not get any hotter than 185 after 15 minutes of sitting with my foot on the brake and in gear and as soon as i put it in neutral and gave it a little gas it would drop right back down. I guess i will see what happens when summer time rolls around but for now i am convinced i have the cooling problem fixed.

Attached are a few pics of my cardboard cooling air dam. I know it's ugly but it works for now.

Thanks for putting up with my terrible typing skills.

 

[broncnaz]

Sometimes its the little things that actually make the differance. Quite common to see people throw a lot of money at a cooling issue. then have the simplest and usually cheapest thing actually fix the issue.

 

[DirtDonk]

Nothing wrong with your typing skills southbay. Good detailed writeup on what did, and did not, make a difference for your heat.
The part about the temp going down when you raise the hood was especially helpful in putting a spotlight on the air-flow issue.

Can't wait to see what happens in the long run. I'm pretty sure that your air blocking methods will bear fruit.
Did for the O.E.s for the last 30 or so years too.

Paul

 

[garberz]

So why doesn't the Ron Davis guy like the Flowcooler pumps?

 

[DirtDonk]

Wondered about that myself. Had very good luck with two of 'em myself. Lasted a LONG time and flowed like gangbusters.

Paul

 

[sprdv1]

Glad it finally worked out for ya

 

[southbaybronco]

So why doesn't the Ron Davis guy like the Flowcooler pumps?

I honestly don't remember what his reason was.


Morning Report day 2:

My heating problem was the worst after driving on the freeway then getting off and sitting at a light or in line for coffee. This morning it did not climb above 180 after the mods.

 

[phred]

congrats. Its always good to beat a problem.

 

[broncnaz]

Most of the time high flow pumps push to much water through the engine and radiator to fast. providing no added cooling benefit. Especailly in vehicles with small radiators like broncos. Most of the people that have posted using them either saw no differance or even hotter temps. about half of them removed them. I dont think the edelbrock pumps are quite as highflow as the flowkooler pumps might be part of the differance.

 

[rsharpnm]

So why doesn't the Ron Davis guy like the Flowcooler pumps?

Ditto on this question... I fought the cooling demons for a long time, and I found the Flowcooler seemed to help a lot. Been on for almost a year now...Of course, I have a 3-row radiator and Taurus fan setup, too. More flow + more cooling area + more air flow = cooler Bronco.

Think I'll fabricate one of those covers, too... that looks like a great idea!

 

[southbaybronco]

I am pleased to say that cardboard has worked. My truck has not gotten any hotter than 185 and that was sitting for a long time. It would have been at 210 before. I just put in the air dam kit from WH. Lets see how it works out. I still had to use a little cardboard for now but will fab something out of ss to complete the project.

 

[Viperwolf1]

I am pleased to say that cardboard has worked. My truck has not gotten any hotter than 185 and that was sitting for a long time. It would have been at 210 before. I just put in the air dam kit from WH. Lets see how it works out. I still had to use a little cardboard for now but will fab something out of ss to complete the project.

Rubber works too.

 

[NJB71]

Nice engine Viperwolf......now i know what i can do w/ the extra rubber I will have left over after the liftgate seal replacement....how did u secure it?, glue?....sorry for the hijack

 

[Viperwolf1]

Nice engine Viperwolf......now i know what i can do w/ the extra rubber I will have left over after the liftgate seal replacement....how did u secure it?, glue?....sorry for the hijack

There are 3 sheetmetal screws and speednuts on each side at the core support. The front just slips into the crease at the grill. The material is really conveyor belt rubber. I even added some to seal the side of the radiator.

 

[bax]

Another thing you can do is put 2 pieces of metal, one on both sides of the outside of the core support. This will act like a duct trapping the air that normally escapes around the core support. A piece of L flashing if you will, mounted vertically on the core support on both sides of the radiator opening. Trim the long side of the L to fit as close to the grill as you want.